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Raising an Original

Raising an Original: Parenting Each Child According to Their Unique God-Given Temperament by Julie Lyles Carr is a parenting book that focuses on embracing your child’s originality and helping them grow in their walk with God. Carr visits various parenting topics, such as not over-scheduling your child’s calendar and striving for purpose instead of perfection.

The book has an especially strong beginning, reminding readers that their child is one-of-a-kind. Carr gives insightful advice, showing that as you raise your children and live your life, you don’t have to fit into a “normal” mold. The most interesting sections of the book are when Carr, a mother of eight, shares stories about raising her kids.

Part of the book includes a “4-Style Personality Traits Assessment Tool,” dividing children into four personality types: the Director, the Inspirer, the Steadfast, and the Curator. Consequently, readers who are not too fond of personality tests may not be fans of the book. The idea of parenting your child according to their temperament is great, though it admittedly has its limits. Carr herself mentions that her personality assessment is directional rather than diagnostic, and that children will often be a combination of her four assigned personality types, rather than neatly fall into one type.